Re: The Bunch - isn't the cover of Buddy Holly's "Learning the Game" on that as well? That's probably my favorite Sandy Denny song (with the possible exception of "The Battle of Evermore").

Another Denny-related disc worth tracking down is the Fairport Convention rarities album Heyday. It's a collection of live recordings from various BBC radio appearances. The cover of The Byrds' "Tried So Hard" in particular is absolutely stunning.

scratch wrote:...long noodling jams were at the time considered a mark of masterly musicianship. I can't remember why.

To be fair, the jams on the Layla set were never intended for any kind of release. They are literally a band in rehearsal, preparing to record an album. In this form, however, they are literally barrel-scrapings designed to accumulate wealth by re-selling music to people who've presumably bought it twice already, under the pretense of there being "bonus tracks".

scratch wrote:Good luck with the Devo.

I've actually already started and, while I loves me some Devo, the key word there might be "some". It's kinda slow-going as I just can't listen to more than about an album and half's worth in a single sitting. Purposeful anti-music starts to wear me down after too much exposure, especially when slathered in decades-old keyboard textures meant to sound futuristic. The Mongoloid Years was particularly rough, partially because the recording quality is so shitty, but also because, so is the band. The 1977 stuff is pretty good, but the '75 and '76 stuff is really, really unpleasant (the liner notes claim the 1975 perforamce literally cleared an auditorium of people waiting to see Sun Ra!) That said, I have the Hardcore Devo set and remember really loving it but haven't listened to it in years now, for reasons related to personal heart-wrenching pain. I'll let you know my current feelings next update.

scratch wrote:Will there be any Doctor Alimantado upcoming in the listening project?

No, as I am completely unfamiliar with his recordings. Is this a gap that needs filling? (And wouldn't that be filed under "A" anyway?)

minicat wrote:

Prof. Wagstaff wrote:Sandy Denny -- ... although I also know I can do without The Bunch.

Mostly. It's fun but very inessential. There's a couple stellar tracks (Richard Thompson singing the Dion song "My Girl the Month of May" is worth the price of admission alone).

Marvell wrote:Re: The Bunch - isn't the cover of Buddy Holly's "Learning the Game" on that as well?

I know I've heard the entire Rock On LP a few times over the years, but it never made enough of an impression on me to add it to my collection. I don't specifically recall either of the above. I can't find the Dion cover on YouTube, but here's "Learning The Game" for anyone who wants to check it out.

Marvell wrote:Another Denny-related disc worth tracking down is the Fairport Convention rarities album Heyday. It's a collection of live recordings from various BBC radio appearances. The cover of The Byrds' "Tried So Hard" in particular is absolutely stunning.

That I own and yes, it's a great set. Here's "Tried So Hard" for the curious. Wonderful stuff. Fairport Convention is actually just a couple shelves away, so I'll get to enjoy this again in a few months.

Thanks to the fine folks at Ace/Kent from the other side of the pond, her complete Chess singles are now available. I already had a handful of these scattered on various Chess and Northern Soul comps before this came out, but at least half of these I'd never heard before. "A Little Taste Of Soul" has been a fave of mine for years, since I first heard it on James Brown's Original Funky Divas, which has fantastic cuts from Marva Whitney, Yvonne Fair, Tammy Montgomery (a.k.a. Terrell), Lyn Collins, and a few others.

minicat wrote:Life, Love and Leaving is pretty great as far as their albums go.

Ok, so I guess I just don't like Devo as much as I used to. Tastes change and all that... not even the Hardcore Devo set really did it for me this go-round. Lots of great songs here and there, but overall, I just don't find their schtick that amusing anymore. C'est la vie.

King Diamond -- as I've said before, 20+ years ago, I was quite the metal head. I unloaded almost all my metal back in college and unfortunately, have never really replaced most of it. I picked up The Best of King Diamond a few years back because I wanted to include "No Presents For Christmas" on my annual Yuletide compilation. (And many folks were glad that I did.) Pretty solid comp. though, and it satisfies my metal cravings on those rare occassions when they rear their ugly little devil-horned heads. Fairly interchangable stuff, so I'll just post "Abigail" because it's the one with the "My Sharona" rips.

The Diamonds and Dick and Dee Dee -- two whitebread R&B acts who each recorded a couple smashingingly great singles and a whole lot of other undistinguished covers (why would anyone want to hear "Why Do Fools Fall In Love" sung by someone other than Frankie Lymon?) and over-produced piffle. But man were those some great singles. Classics for a reason."Little Darlin'" The Diamonds (a VERY rare example of a white group covering a black R&B song and doing it better. The original, by Maurice Williams of "Stay" fame, is nothing to sneeze at, but this one's waaaaaay better.)"The Mountain's High" Dick and Dee Dee

The Dickies -- my vinyl of their early LPs is AWOL (I most likely sold them in my store when I was particularly desperate for stock) which leaves me with only Stukas Over Disneyland, which is just OK, and Live In London/Locked'n'Loaded 1990 which is rip-roaringly fantastic. That said, The OuttaToons did a better version of "Gigantor"...

Damn straight. I haven't made any progress since my above post.¡Viva Dictators! was the first CD on my rack and I haven't swapped it out yet. I just keep starting it over again and again. "What's up with that?"

I haven't hit a snag like this in The Project since I got caught in a week-long Blue Oyster Cult loop last year.

Small threadjack: since comprehensiveness is the word here, I figured this was an excellent spot to post my giant list of things that I just removed from my iPod. These are the musics that I felt were no longer worth my while - if you like anything here, you are mistaken and I pity you.

I'm pretty sure I had both of these because of you, so, YOU have let ME down. Raspberries might just be a blind spot on me, but that Brendon Benson album is not good and he is not good (though, I do like his stuff with the Raconteurs).

I'm pretty sure I had both of these because of you, so, YOU have let ME down. Raspberries might just be a blind spot on me, but that Brendon Benson album is not good and he is not good (though, I do like his stuff with the Raconteurs).

You are opposite-town. Raspberries - Side 3 is one of the best albums ever made (aka one of my all-time faves). That Brendan Benson album is fantastic, the Raconteurs stuff is dullsville.

As I've told you personally, you are disappointing, and I have lost 2/3rds of all respect I've ever had for you. Give me a couple more bum movie recommendations, and you will be at Schabow-level.